GOD'S THOUGHTS.

A book is the expression of the thoughts of the writer. The book of nature is an expression of the thoughts of God. We have God's terrible thoughts in the thunder and lightning, God's loving thoughts in the sunshine and the balmy breeze, God's bounteous, prudent, careful thoughts in the waving harvest and in the ripening meadow. We have God's brilliant thoughts in the wonderous scenes which are beheld from mountain-top and valley, and we have God's most sweet and pleasant thoughts of beauty in the little flowers that blossom at our feet. But you will remark that God has in nature given the most prominence to those thoughts that needed to have the pre-eminence. He hath not given us broad acres overspread with flowers, for they were not needed in such abundance, but He hath spread the fields with corn, that thus the absolute necessities of life might be supplied. We needed most of the thoughts of His providence, and He hath quickened our industry, so that God's providential care may be read as we ride along the roads on every side. Now God's book of grace is just like His book of nature, it is His thoughts written out. This great book, the bible, this most precious volume, is the heart of God made legible, it is the gold of God's love beaten out into leaf gold, so that therewith our thoughts might be plated, and we also might have golden, good and holy thoughts concerning Him. And you will mark that as in nature so in grace, the most necessary is the most prominent. I see in God's word a rich abundance of flowers of glorious eloquence, often I find a prophet marshalling his words like armies for might, and like kings for majesty. But far more frequently I read simple declarations of the truth. I see, here and there, a brilliant thought of beauty, but I find whole fields of plain didactic teaching, which is food for the soul, and I find whole chapters full of Christ which is divine manna, whereon the soul doth feed. I see starry words to make the scriptures brilliant, sweet thoughts to make them fair, great thoughts to make them impressive, terrible thoughts to make them awful, but necessary thoughts, instructive thoughts, saving thoughts, are far more frequent, because far more needful. Here and there a bed of flowers, but broad acres of living corn of the gospel of the grace of God.